Tournaments

Seamaster 2017 ITTF World Tour, Korea Open

Koreans survive but seeds fall in opening round

20 Apr 2017

The host nation’s Jeoung Youngsik and Lee Sangsu, the no.2 seeds, survived as did their colleagues, Kim Minseok and Seo Hyundeok, the no.8 seeds; likewise there was success for the combination of Germany’s Patrick Franziska and Germany’s Jonathan Groth, the no.3 seeds but for the other illustrious partnerships, in the opening round of the Men’s Doubles event at the Seamaster 2017 ITTF World Tour Korea Open, it was farewell.

In Incheon, on the morning of Thursday 20th April it was upset after upset, surprise followed surprise.

Japan’s Masataka Morizono and Yuya Oshima, the top seeds and winners at the 2015 Grand Finals in Lisbon, departed at the hands of Chinese Taipei’s Hung Tzu-Hsiang and Yang Heng-Wei (11-5, 6-11, 11-9, 11-9).

At the same time it was farewell for Sweden’s Kristian Karlsson and Mattias Karlsson, the no.7 seeds and silver medallists at the 2012 European Championships in Herning. They were beaten by Singapore’s Gao Ning and Pang Xue Jie (4-11, 17-15, 11-7, 5-11, 11-9).

The end result; in the top half of the draw, all four seeded pairs fell in the opening round with European partnerships enduring pain. In the top half of the draw in the round of the last eight pairs, it is Hung Tzu-Hsiang and Yang Heng-Wei versus Gao Ning and Pang Xue Jie; Yuto Kizukuri and Masaki Takami versus Jang Woojin and Jeong Sangeun.

However, for the old continent in the lower half of the draw it was somewhat different; Romania’s Cristian Pletea and Hunor Szocs upset the order of merit to beat Chinese Taipei’s Chen Chien-An and Chiang Hung-Chieh, the no.6 seeds (6-11, 18-16, 11-7, 11-9).

At the quarter-final stage the Romanians meet Patrick Franziska and Jonathan Groth; the opening round winners in opposition to the combination of Romania’s Ovidiu Ionescu and Sweden’s Anton Källberg (11-6, 11-9, 6-11, 11-5).

A semi-final place guaranteed for a European partnership; whatever the outcome they will meet a Korean combination in the last four. In the same half of the draw Jeoung Youngsik and Lee Sangsu meet Kim Minseok and Seo Hyundeok.